SR0747 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0747 LRB094 20298 LCT 58320 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Herman Spertus, who passed away on April 5, 2006, at the age of 105; and

WHEREAS, Born in a time of czarist pogroms, Herman Spertus was lucky to escape with his life when, with his brother, he walked, hung onto trains, and hid in hay wagons while Soviet soldiers poked into the straw mounds with bayonets; the goal was to reach America and it was a journey he never forgot; and

WHEREAS, He was the eldest of five children of Meriam and Harry Spertus and grew up in a village near Kiev in Ukraine; after the family made their way to Chicago, Mr. Spertus and his brother found jobs as assembly line workers, studying English at night; and

WHEREAS, With his brother, Maurice, Mr. Spertus founded what became Intercraft Industries, the world's largest manufacturer of inexpensive picture frames; in 1933, betting on the popularity of Brownie cameras, they launched their company; and

WHEREAS, An artist as well as a businessman, Mr. Spertus would finish off a day of sales calls in New York in the 1950s by hanging out in Greenwich Village at a tavern favored by many of the Village's emerging abstract expressionists; other regulars were Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning; and they would talk, argue, and, in summers, all go off and paint together; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Spertus was known for his warmth and caring for people; in 1980, he served as the Jewish United Fund's chairman and helped to raise a record $36 million for the organization; and

WHEREAS, The 82-year old institute in Chicago that offers master's and doctorate degrees in Jewish studies was renamed the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in 1970 in honor of the contributions of Mr. Spertus and his brother; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his first wife, Sara, and his brother, Maurice; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Herman Spertus will be felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his second wife, Hilda; his sons, Philip and Robert; his daughter, Anita; his 13 grandchildren; and his 14 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with all who knew and loved him, the death of Herman Spertus; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Herman Spertus with our sincere condolences.